Dungeon World: The Hungering Doom

Orcs

Physical Description

Orcs are the largest and most warlike of the common humanoid races of Mitblan. They have long arms made up of large slabs of muscle with short legs giving them an almost gorilla-like appearance with a thick green skin, large jutting teeth and beady eyes.

Culture

Orcs usually live in small, violent tribes amid constant mayhem. Intimidation and brutal violence are the glue that holds orc culture together. They settle disputes by making increasingly grisly threats until, when a rival fails to back down, the conflict escalates into actual bloodshed. Orcs who win these ferocious brawls not only feel free to take whatever they want from the loser, they will often murder their opponent to send a message to others. Orcs rarely spend much time improving their homes or belongings since doing so merely encourages a stronger orc to seize them. One of the greatest strengths of orcs is their ability to breed quickly – were it not for their tendency to casually murder each other they would most likely be the only living race.

Despite their violent culture they possess a strong feeling of self-preservation and will not just fight for the sake of fighting, they respect strength and especially with their now limited numbers recognise that fighting when defeat is likely is a risk not worth taking.

History

In the past the Orcs were the most populous of all races, surpassing even humans in their ability to expand. Now they have been pushed to the brink of extinction. The Dwarven-Orcish War left them scattered across Mitblan in small tribes nursing a fierce hatred of the races responsible for their downfall.